The Nightmare Plane
by Everyday-Tragedy
Summary: Nick Cutter is hearing voices -- and after Claudia went missing, he's not sure he really cares anymore. Thank you to inkashes for pushing me to publish!


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Primeval -- if I did, I'd have a much richer life. -____- **

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**Chapter 1: The Nightmare Plane**

_ "Help me!"_

The voice rang out through Nick Cutter's mind -- cutting off any minute amount of sleep he may have dredged up for himself. Starting with a gasp, Nick's eyes snapped open and he jolted up in bed. "What?" Nick hissed, his wide-eyed stare darting from one dark corner of the room to the next...looking for the embodiment of the voice. "Goddamn it." He sneered, slamming an annoyed fist down into the softness of the matress -- though, not too soft, he needed a _bit_ of firmness to even _attempt_ sleep these days.

Still, this voice -- this faceless tone of "woman" -- had been haunting his, already hindered, sleep for weeks now. Two weeks, exactly, after Claudia Brown disappeared off the face of _reality, _Nick had started dread sleep. The "help me" so utterly weak and desperate as, whoever it was, cried out for help. Sometimes, it even took the time to add a "please."

Further divulging into this sleep-filled delusion was needed, but it would have to be later -- as Nick's cell phone rang to life.

"Yeah, Connor -- what is it?" Nick asked his protege, student, and friend. Only the slightest amount of annoyance traced his tones, but it was enough to catch the attention of Connor Temple.

"Professor? What is it?" Connor asked, his _own_ voice conveying the eternal, un-dying loyalty he had for the man he called "Professor."

"Nothing, Connor. It's nothing. What do you have?" He didn't want to be impatient with the lad, but he also didn't want to tell him that he was hearing voices in his sleep...or rather _a_ voice.

However, Connor wasn't as daft and oblivious as most people liked to count him as and he immediately picked up on the distress. Oh, he planned on talking to Nick, but right now there was something _else_ that needed to be handled. So, putting on his best "okay, I believe you," face as he did when the Professor spoke of Claudia Brown -- Connor cleared his throat, and pulled the hat down a little further over his eyes. "Professor...it's bad. Anomaly -- it's...it's in an elementary school."

"Shite..." Nick grumbled -- his thick Scottish brogue growing murkier when he was in a hurry. "Anything come through yet, Connor?"

Temple shook his head, even though the Professor couldn't see him and continued, "nothing yet, Cutter -- but...there's something else. Abby's picking up something strange on the scanner. She thinks..." he laughed, nervously. "...she thinks it's human, professor."

_ "For God's sake, help me!"_

Nick's eyes flew wider -- okay, that was odd...he'd never heard the voice while he'd been awake before. "Hello?"

Connor arched a brow and shook his head, "still me, Professor...anyway, we're heading to the school...be there, yeah?" Hanging up the cell phone, Connor followed Abby to the truck as they left the ARC.

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Cutter threw his normal gear into the back of the heavy-duty truck they used for missions -- as having a compact car wasn't really practical if you needed to say -- attach a trailer to the thing and haul an unconscious Pterodactyl on the back of it. Once inside the cab, Nick realized how drained he was feeling, already and he'd just drug himself from bed. "Great day." The Scotsman muttered out, shaking his head in general annoyance, before he turned the key and the truck came to life. It was a quiet vehicle, great for sneaking up on the less intelligent species of the Jurassic Period, but -- it was quite clear that the G-Rex was not going to be fooled by an advanced fuel system and four on the floor.

_ Help me, Nick._

"Oh for Christ's sake! Listen...I don't know who you are, but this is gettin' a wee bit ridiculous, Lass." Nick spoke, peering around the cab as if maybe, just _maybe_ he'd be able to spot whomever had been plaguing his inner mind...and apparently now, his waking one.

_ Please, Nick -- help m...._

"No, no, no. Now, stop it. If you've got something you need help with -- then come and ask me -- please. But you're makin' me feel a wee bit off my rocker now and I really can't have that. Half the team already look at me funny and even now I'm talking to no one. So, just do me a favor and shove off."

Nick waited, in silence -- his eyes darting back and forth as if just waiting for the disembodied voice to have some witty retort. But, there was _finally _blessed silence, and so -- in the spirit of being manly -- Cutter squared his shoulders and peeled out of his drive way a bit more passionately than was absolutely necessary.

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**^_~ Chapter 2 will come soon enough! Please review, if you want to hear more!**


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